In the building construction industry, there is often a need to construct curbs and safety rails along the perimeter of roofs, decks, and other like elevated platform structures.
Nowadays, metal framing assemblies are now commonly used in the building construction industry. Metal framing assemblies are generally constructed from a plurality of metal framing members including metal studs, joists, trusses, and other metal posts and beams some of which are formed from sheet metal (and frequently fabricated to have the same general cross-sectional dimensions as standard wood members used for similar purposes). Sheet metal framing members are typically constructed by roll-forming 10 to 24 gauge galvanized sheet steel. Although many cross-sectional shapes are available, the primary shapes used in building construction are C-shaped studs and U-shaped tracks.
Conventional building curbs are generally fabricated from standard metal or wood framing members, or some combination thereof, and are typically installed along the perimeter of a flat rooftop. As such, and because metal and wood framing members have poor insulative (thermal) properties, conventional curbs are generally sources of significant heat loss, unless insulation material is specially added after the perimeter curb has been installed. The additional step of adding insulation to a perimeter curb can be difficult and/or unfeasible, thereby generally increasing the overall cost of a construction project. In addition, the multiple pieces and weight of wood-made curbs makes them time consuming to construct on-site (multiple steps with many components and fasteners needed to construct and install).
Accordingly, and although some perimeter curb structures are known in the building construction trade, there is still a need in the art for new and improved rooftop perimeter curb structures that are easy to construct/install on-site. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides for further related advantages.